Kingdom of Arnor
The Kingdom of Arnor is a major Human power that resides North of Lorderon and along the southern Border of The Empire. Once the second most powerful part of the massive Empire of Numeron it was devestated during the conflict with Teutons and the rebels and became independant following the Downfall of Numeron. The Kingdom of Arnor is beset by many problems but the main issue has been their nearly constant conflict with their northern neighbor in the form of The Empire of whom constantly attacks it. Arnor was once the northen half of the Empire of Numeron , but after the Destruction of the Numenor it has been gradually worn down until it sits today barely a shadow of it's former self. Once it stood as the most populous area of the Area of the Empire of Numeron with only Westros having more population and political might, but it lost significant numbers during the Downfall of Numeron and has never truly recovered. Arnor maintains one of only two remaining Numenorian families in Europe, and are very die hard in their defence of what they see as the founding principles of Numeron. Alongside being a former member of the Empire of Numeron the Kingdom of Arnor is one of only two areas left in Europe that maintains a majority population of Atlantians. Their population is the largest in Europe, and with the threat of destruction the Kingdom of Arnor remains the greatest hope for the Atlantian people to return to their former power. Inside of Arnor exist seven Numenorian Houses of varrying size, but under Arnor before the Invasion of The Empire there were well over forty Numenorian Houses but their numbers were abolutely devestated leaving only seven left and only one of the Triumverate alive. The Atlantians are the larger of the overall atlantian legacy that remains in Arnor now after the Numenorian losses. Arnor stands as one of the three Kingdoms in Europe that worship the Atlantian Pantheon of which they continue to do since they started centuries before the departure from Atlantis. This worship is yet another reason for the diferences between Arnor and their neighbors as they are distinctly the only one who believes in the Atlantian Pantheon. In this way Arnor is also the host to some of the oldest temples of the Atlantian Pantheon in all of Europe, and for this reason the Temple of Fornost is almost unaimously known as the center of the religion in the continent. Alongside the temples the Kingdom of Arnor also holds many of the ancient remaining relics of the old island of Atlantis and for this reason is further more importance to the religion. Arnor was founded as a Kingdom within the Empire of Numeron during the intiital growth of the empire into the European continent. Arnor was known early on as a more rustic area within the Empire of Numeron, but it gained immense growth in population as the continent of Atlantis was destroyed. Following this there was a large growth in intellectualism in the city of Fornost but the western areas stayed more rustic and non Atlantian in terms of how they went about running the cities. During the Downfall of Numeron the Kingdom of Arnor was forced to be unable to assist the rebels as they fought due to large scale assaults by the Teutons to the north, of whom had been tricked into fighting against Arnor by the menipulations of the Witch King. Despite this the Kingdom of Arnor became the center of the rebellion against the Dark Numenorians and would end the conflict as the capital of the Empire of Numeron following the destruction of Tail Jana. The Kingdom of Arnor would attempt to regrow the Empire of Numeron but found no connection in land to their old western lands or to the main remains of the Empire in Gondor, and Umbar and for this reason had little success in this regard. Becoming its own Kingdom it became stretched thing fighting off the Empire who had gained immense lands and population and was now no longer a weak barbarian lands as was the case during the Downfall of Numeron. Arnor would finally collapse and finally be destroyed when The Empire and Valeria both attacked the nation and splitting their forces they were unable to hold against the massive forces attacking them. History Main Article : Timeline of Arnor Pre-Numenorians Arnor was a sparse and fertile area that was largley inhabited by roving bands of hunter gathers for the centuries before the coming the Empire of Numeron. During this period there was very little settlements in the region, and the only real civilization was horrifyingly enough in the form of the Trollocs of the Forest and the small Dwarven Hold of Dun Garek. The Trollocs were on the decline in the region but there numbers were still extremely high in the area to the point that they had basically caused the distinct lack of human settlement in Pre-Numenorian Arnor. Empire of Numeron Main Article : Empire of Numeron See Also : Atlantis : ``Atlantis was a land of joy, and at first you saw nothing of the such in the European lands. Forests filled with monsters, and dangers around all corners you couldn`t help but long to return to Atlantis. As time went by the wealth and power of the European lands made all want to see what had changed in the European lands.`` : -Unknown Numenorian Scribe With the port cities taken over, they loyalists began building massive ships, and they gathered huge resources and numbers to them. The moment a ship was completed it was sent out, and the loyalists were swiftly sheltered to the ports of their European holds. These first holds were at the areas of Gondor , Dol Amroth and Umbar , and for this reason we see the most Atlantean looking architecture in Gondor and Dol Amroth. After months of this the loyalist Emperor left the island on the final ship and watched the island of Atlantis disapear in the horizeon. Province in Numeron Main Article : Empire of Numeron It wasn't until the coming of the Atlantians following the exodus of Atlantis that the region of Arnor, and in that way Fornost would become settled. The coming Numenorians were a very industrious people, and their expansion brought them northward from the port of Umbar and their most populated areas in Gondor, and Westros towards Germany. As the Atlantians move northward they founded many cities throughout Arnor, with the principle city of the region becoming known as Fornost. Golden Age With the founding of Fornost the region of Arnor became enveloped in a lengthly golden age. All of the major cities, and settlements in the region were founded during this time, and the armies of Arnor grew to such a point that they became the close rival of Gondor, and Umbar in power. Second Empire of Numeron Following the Downfall of Numeron the remnents of the Empire of Numeron attempted to find their place in the world with the non-Numenorian and Atlantian sections of the Empire quickly declaring independance the core regions would call a large summit at Minus Tirith where they would form the Second Empire of Numeron. The Second Empire of Numeron quickly after its founding became more of an idea then an actual physical nation as when the Ironborn begin to rise in the Iron Islands and contact slipped away between the Gondor/Umbar/Taraban southern elements and the Arnor/Lombard northern elements the second Empire of Numeron would collapse. Kingdom of Arnor Following the end of the Second Empire of Numeron the Kingdom of Arnor would begin its plans for recreating the Empire of Numeron on its own first making movement to consolidate its holdings in its core regions. At its independance the Kingdom of Arnor was named a Kingdom but its control was that of an Empire as it controlled several nations beneath it, and controlled huge tracts of land. Despite the fact that it had lost huge numbers during the Downfall of the Numeron its cities were still huge centers of population, and their were signs that it might be easy to expand north. For all of this hope the leadership of Arnor could not see how powerful The Empire had become, and were unable to antisipate the vast array of armies that The Empire would throw against Arnor in an attempt to weaken them. The Orange Death : "How many valiant men, how many fair ladies, breakfast with their kinfolk and the same night supped with their ancestors in the next world! The condition of the people was pitiable to behold. They sickened by the thousands daily, and died unattended and without help. Many died in the open street, others dying in their houses, made it known by the stench of their rotting bodies. Consecrated churchyards did not suffice for the burial of the vast multitude of bodies, which were heaped by the hundreds in vast trenches, like goods in a ships hold and covered with a little earth." : -Unknown Atlantian Scribe The Glory of Arnor would continue to fade following the disasterous invasion of Weerhousen when following a severe outbreak of plague on its western provinces. It is speculated that half of the people of western Arnor were killed during the outbreak, and the major fortress city of Malgheim was left nearly deserted. On top of this it caused the lands of the Night Watch to be closed to them for many years which created a dramatic decline in their economic situation, and also led to to the loss of communication between Arnor and many of their southern allies. With the loss of Malgheim as a reasonable defence, The Empire became once more openly hostile to them and despite the fact that the southern parts of The Empire were also hit by the epedemic the lands of Arnor were far more damaged and thus the lands of The Empire were primed to become aggresive. With the severe losses they had suffered they were unable to retaliate as they once had which made The Empire more bold, and eventually led to the War in Arnor, which would lead to the now decayed state that Arnor finds itself in. War with the Empire Main Article : War in Arnor Breathing Again At present the Kingdom of Arnor is in steep decline following the devestation that it took during the War in Arnor, and although that was a long time ago, they have never truly recovered from it. Arnor is suffering greatly also because of being cutoff from its main ally in Gondor , after the fall of Gallheim , and the loss of the only means through the Redrick Mountains. Renewed Border Conflict With a brief lull in the fighting the leadership of King Jonas Hemsworth went about fortifying their positions in Arnor with a heavy concentration of fortifying Fornost from any kind of attack. Battle of Krost Main Article : Battle of Krost The Battle of Krost was a battle fought betweent he rangers of Liam Hemsworth and an Austrian army attempting to destroy the village of Krost. After noticeing the camped Empire army the forces of Liam Hemsworth arrived in Krost and along with many men of the village fortified the village for the coming attack. When the Empire troops arrived in the village they ran blindly into the houses and dozens were killed silently upon entering the fortified houses by waiting soilders. With the entire army inside the village the rangers and villagers opened up with their archers from every roof top in the village. The Empire troops were caught in the open, and with every house a veritable fortress they were slowly massacred over the course of a few hours by the stuck in defenders. A small force of maybe 150 were able to retreat out of the original force of nearly 1500. Demographics Ethnicity Alongside being a former member of the Empire of Numeron the Kingdom of Arnor is one of only two areas left in Europe that maintains a majority population of Atlantians. Their population is the largest in Europe, and with the threat of destruction the Kingdom of Arnor remains the greatest hope for the Atlantian people to return to their former power. Inside of Arnor exist seven Numenorian Houses of varrying size, but under Arnor before the Invasion of The Empire there were well over forty Numenorian Houses but their numbers were abolutely devestated leaving only seven left and only one of the Triumverate alive. The Atlantians are the larger of the overall atlantian legacy that remains in Arnor now after the Numenorian losses. Religion Arnor stands as one of the three Kingdoms in Europe that worship the Atlantian Pantheon of which they continue to do since they started centuries before the departure from Atlantis. This worship is yet another reason for the diferences between Arnor and their neighbors as they are distinctly the only one who believes in the Atlantian Pantheon. In this way Arnor is also the host to some of the oldest temples of the Atlantian Pantheon in all of Europe, and for this reason the Temple of Fornost is almost unaimously known as the center of the religion in the continent. Alongside the temples the Kingdom of Arnor also holds many of the ancient remaining relics of the old island of Atlantis and for this reason is further more importance to the religion. Population Population Centers Arnor is very heavily Numenorian influenced, and this effect means they are effectively all classical Numeron cities. Unlike Gondor whose cities are influenced by the more mountainy areas of Atlantis, the cities of Arnor are built in a more rustic open method that personified the outer provinces of Atlantis.' Dun Garak' is an offical city in Arnor, and at the same time is semi-autonamous. There Dwarves of this hold have fought in every war that Arnor has had and most citizens see them as just regular members of Arnor. Economy Goverment Tetrarchy When the independant Kingdom of Arnor was first founded the Kingdom was a Tetrarchy with the Three main families all having one King, and through each of these Kings was the overall control of the Kingdom held, while alongside these three families there also stood the King under the Mountain in the form of the Dwarves of Dun Garek. This system allowed all three houses to have a say, and since each was from a specific area of the Kingdom, this meant that all were equally represented. Diarchy The Tetrarchy failed becoming a Diarchywhen during the War in Arnor, two of the three Houses were destroyed leaving only House Hemsworth to man the King's role over a much diminished Kingdom. Beside the throne of the King sits two empty thrones which represent the two lost Houses of Arnor, and the site of the two empty thrones is said to still weigh heavily on Jonas Hemsworth who can clearly recall sitting beside the two former powerful houses. King of Fornost The King of Fornost like most Kingdom's holds the power of the Kingdom. Like other Kingdoms the King of Arnor, is responsible for the passing of laws, and the direction of internal improvements. The King holds all significant power, except over religion where the Dragon Horn House has control of the direction that religion takes in Arnor. Dragon Horn House The Dragon Horn House is not actually a family caste, or any kind of blood relatives instead the dragon horn are an organization that controls the worshipping that goes on in Arnor. Once all non-dragon was strictly illigal but before the War with the Empire, a law was passed that made other religions heavily taxed but legal. The Dragon Horn House is at present obsessed with removing all non-dragons worshippers from the Kingdom, and is very violent in this action. Relics Palantir Main Article : Palantir : "The palantír replied to each, but all those in Gondor were ever open to the view of Osgiliath. Now it appears that, as the rock of Orthanc has withstood the storms of time, so there the palantír of that tower has remained. But alone it could do nothing but see small images of things far off and days remote. Very useful, no doubt, that was to Saruman; yet it seems that he was not content. Further and further abroad he gazed, until he cast his gaze upon Barad-dûr. Then he was caught!" : ― Gandalf, The Palantír The palantíri (sometimes translated as "Seeing Stones") were stones that could be used in communication with one another, and also to see many things across the face of the world. When its master looked in it, he could communicate with other Stones and anyone who might be looking into them; people of great power can manipulate the Stones to see virtually any part of the world. The Palantir are now the source of great dread for much of the Numenorians as they provide a glimpse into the things they have lost because of the coruption and destruction wrought by Sauron. The palantíri were made by Fëanor in the Uttermost West of whom wanted to create a greater way for communication. Twenty eight palantíri were made, of which nine were given to the Numenorians of the Empire Númenor by Gil-galad as a gift during the Second Age, and in time they were distributed to seven different locations: four in Gondor and three in Arnor. They were used largely for communication, but also to see what was occurring throughout the respective realms. Their existence was common knowledge, but no-one was allowed easy access to them save for kings and rulers, appointed wardens, or by royal command. One by one the stones vanished from public knowledge or were lost. The Osgiliath-stone fell into Anduin during the Kin-strife and burning of that city. When Arvedui, King of Arnor, was shipwrecked and his line ended, he drowned with the palantíri of Amon Sûl and Annúminas, the only communicating stones of Arnor. When Minas Morgul fell, the stone was assumed destroyed in general. The wiser and more foresighted men of Gondor decided that in case Sauron had seized the Stone, they would stop using the Anor-stone to prevent any contact with the Dark Lord. As the Elostirion-stone was locked away and could not answer the other stones anyway, the only remaining stone was the Orthanc-stone, which became useless to the Gondorians. When Beren gave Saruman the deserted but secure Orthanc, he likely assumed that Saruman, head of the leading order against Sauron, would keep it safe. Military Fortifications Category:Kingdoms of Europe Category:Atlantians